How far behind are we in Neonatal Healthcare?

Despite the advancements made in the healthcare technology, the neonatology department sees approximately 28 deaths per 1000 live births (or 0.75 million deaths per year) in the Indian Subcontinent. Of this staggering number, 19.2% burden falls on Intrapartum related complications, mainly Birth Asphyxia. The number of cases is far higher in places with resource constraints.
Ignorance towards Birth Asphyxia and its treatment solutions often leads to newborns succumbing to the disease or living with life-long disabilities due to a multitude of neurodevelopmental complications. Lack of understanding of the consequences of Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (or Birth Asphyxia) often results in the treatment of HIE getting delayed beyond the Golden Hours (6 hours from Birth), post which the neural death has progressed beyond repair.
Diagnosis of HIE at its earliest stages is often the way out. Determination of the severity of the hypoxia insult is usually done through APGAR scoring, SARNAT scoring and evaluation of resuscitation.
To know more about the interventions performed after Birth Asphyxia, click here: